In 100 words, discuss the importance of the oral tradition of reciting poetry and what it meant to ancient societies.

Oral tradition refers to the passing down of stories, myths, knowledge and information from one generation to the next by oral means. This is often done through legends, songs, folktales and poems. Before the invention of writing, this was the main way in which cultures could pass down knowledge over many generations.

Many literary devices that poems use nowadays, such as assonance, repetitions, parallelism and alliteration were developed as mnemonic devices in order to help listeners and storytellers remember the oral accounts. Many cultural expressions of people all over the world started as an oral traditions, such as most mythologies and religious traditions such as Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism. Oral tradition not only allowed ancient cultures to preserve knowledge, but it was also a way to maintain their religious and cultural traditions alive and to bring their community together.

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